The Forgotten Jungle
by Lithiasaur
Summary: A new villain arrives in Storybrooke just as a few of its denizens go missing! What unfolds is an adventure that spans across worlds and times, and brings characters face to face with their inner instincts and demons.


**(Hello! Welcome to my first fanfic in... a very long time. How often will it be updated? I don't know. But hey! It's here. Expect some fun things as I play with this new show I've come to love. Please read and review and keep me writing! Can't do it without you guys.)**

The Dark One.

It was a name that most barely dared to utter, and those that did often immediately came to regret it. It was a living legend, a nightmare that was devastatingly real, and fear was simply not a strong enough reaction to it. Fear was not enough to keep one safe, not from the Dark One: if he chose you, if you called him, then nothing would save you. There was no being cautious, there was no hoping for things to get better: The Dark One was death, but not quickly. He was torture, suffering and misery, stretched across eternal life. He was everywhere, and always listening. There was no escaping the strongest wielder of Dark Magic this world had ever known, in all its existence: and the worst part about it all was just how unpredictable he really was. He could ruin your life in a moment, a constant looming threat over all the land. Nothing could contain or control him, and the world was slave to his cruel and twisted whims.

And yet Belle still tugged on his arm, urging him toward the Exotic Pet store with stubborn determination to get him into a place he clearly had no intention of going.

"Just for a moment, Rumple! I just want to look!"

"No, Belle, no. I've told you before, I will not have pets! You have a very… annoying, yet admirably consistent habit of wanting to take in every poor, loveless creature you see."

"You mean like I did with you?"

"No, for once I am not referencing myself," he grumped, though she had a very good point. He sighed and relented, though he really never had a choice in the matter regardless of how powerful he felt he was. Against Belle, who had magic far stronger than even the inescapable control of his own Dagger, that one could use to order him around, and own his power, if they so desired, he was helpless. This power rested in her eyes, large and innocent, constantly pleading with resolute adorableness that penetrated his hateful persona and, essentially, turned him into a mushy pile of goo. Victim to her fathomless power, Rumple found himself standing just inside the entrance to the store, one hand shoved into the pockets of his blazer, the other leaning on his cane.

She smiled brightly at him as he gave her a passively disapproving tilt of his head.

"Be quick then," he sighed. Her laugh lilted in her ears and he smiled despite himself, stumbling as she tugged his arm, the one supporting the cane, and pulled him into step with her. Clearly this was not an endeavor she would be experiencing alone.

"What is it with you and these little… pests?"

"You mean animals?" Belle was used to his attitude, particularly when he was trying to be obstinate on purpose. She saw right through him, and her smile remained as bright as ever. Let him grump, as he often did, and she would provide more than enough happiness to make up for it. He supposed that was part of what made them work. "They're cute. And they're innocent. They need help, and love, and a good home. Animals are easy to love, because that's all they really want. They don't understand things like hatred or revenge, do they? They only kill to survive."

"Are you saying you would be alright with my killing someone, if I ate the body afterwards?"

There was a gasp from somewhere nearby, and both turned their heads to see a young couple skittering away from the aisle they had been walking down, toward the cages in the back. A few seconds later, the bell on the door jingled, and was followed by a curt, decisive slam. Rumple smirked despite himself, though he breathed a sigh through his nose with a rueful air about him. Fear.

Apparently people did not like the idea of the Dark One eating them. Like that made the act of killing them worse somehow. He had no intention of eating anyone, but it was always interesting to see where people drew their lines.

"You know that's not what I mean."

Deploying her all but patented technique to soothe the beast, Belle kissed Rumple lightly on the cheek and felt him relax in her arm. It worked like a charm, every time he let his bitterness get the better of him. She knew he was a good person, he just tended to make himself seem worse than he really was. Of course, that had been his goal for a very long time, so she could hardly blame him for it now. It was a part of his nature, to hide any vulnerability or uncontrolled emotion.

He smiled at her gently, nodding toward the cages. She let go of him to hurry over, peering into a small, penned off area of the floor that housed, Rumple could see as he drew closer, dogs. Young dogs.

"Puppies!"

He knew that tone. He watched as Belle cooed, bending to pick up a puppy as she did so, and cuddled it against her chest. It was small, fluffy, and arguably adorable. All things Rumple dreaded about animals in this place, as that made them prime choices for being adopted by soft hearted people with a need to take care of others, like his Belle. Unfortunately, Rumple was not particularly interested in sharing her affections with anyone. Much less a hairy beast that he would likely spend far too much time cleaning up after.

Well, no time at all, really, as he had magic, but the point would remain.

"Look at its little face!" Belle held the puppy out to him, and he stared at it, catching its eyes with his and seeing the shudder that moved through the animal. Perceptive creatures, at the best of times, but their abilities went far beyond sensing earthquakes and smelling bombs. They could feel magic and, what was more fascinating, could distinguish it as Dark or Light. This one knew immediately what it was looking at. It whined unhappily, wiggling like a worm in an effort to return to the comfort of Belle's warm chest.

"Yes, it does have a face," Rumple waved his hand, looking away with no effort to even feign interest. Belle fixed him a look, accepting the challenge, which he endeavored to ignore. She took two steps toward him, slow and measured, holding the puppy toward him all the while. Rumple gave her a sideways glance, wrinkling his angular nose in distaste. "Not too close now, Belle, I don't want fur on my coat."

"Rumple."

"Belle."

"Look at it."

"I am."

"No you're not!"

She held it up by its armpits, its little back legs curling up towards its stomach as it dangled, tail curled with them. It looked at Rumple curiously, though not without anxiety, ears tipped backwards and a soft whine escaping its chest as it was held out toward the Dark One. Belle lifted it between them, standing just behind the puppy's head so her eyes were visible over the top of it, her eyebrows lifted and that effective, stubborn look able to pierce through Rumple even with a dog shielding most of her face. He looked at her, then at the puppy, and supposed some of her cuteness must have been rubbing off due to proximity.

"Yes well, as far as most animals go, it is not wholly unpleasant looking," he conceded, as he would not be getting out of there with his dignity if he did not concede something.

Belle relented, bringing the puppy back to her and cuddling it close again, giving it a kiss on the head to reassure it that it was not about to be eaten, regardless of the look on Rumple's face. She returned it to the cage, lingering to pet a few of the others before she stood and moved back to her Beast of choice, taking his hands in hers, though one kept hold of his cane. Guiding him to look at her, she smiled up at him lovingly. There was not a great distance between the two of them, though they were both on the shorter side of things, as Rumple was often reminded whenever he had to stand next to Charming or Hook.

"Are you done now, darling? I should like to get food at Granny's before we retire…"

"Rumple…"

"I know what you're going to ask, but we cannot have a dog, Belle!"

"You know, I don't really have to ask you, if I wanted to adopt one. I can keep him at the library, not your shop, and you wouldn't have anything to do with him! What's wrong with wanting to give something a better life? Their best chance! What if that's with me? Us?"

"And here I thought I would not have anything to do with it." Rumple shook his head, noting that one of his hands had somehow disengaged from hers to gently cradle the side of her chin, thumb brushing across her skin as he admired her beautiful, albeit currently petulant and expectation laden, face. Her eyes glimmered, always brought to life whenever she felt strongly about something. Whenever she believed in something.

More of her magic.

"Please, Rumple?"

It occurred to the Dark One that he was losing this fight. He had been, since the moment they walked into the pet store. At this moment, he had very few options left to him. At least, very few that would also sit well with Belle, and allow them both to leave happy. Even fewer of those involved not leaving with a dog.

"Are you that lonely, my love?" He tried, though he regretted the tactic immediately. While she had a lot of power over him, he still knew her weaknesses. Guilt, the idea that she had caused some kind of harm or insult, were very effective tools to use against her. Bring her to regret something she did or said, and she would work very hard to correct the problem. All she really wanted in life was to make people happy, and while that was an admirable enough goal for her, it was not one Rumple could truly wrap his mind around. Happy was relative, at the best of times, and for most of the greedy people he encountered in the world, in many worlds, near impossible. Everyone always wanted, maybe needed, to be upset about something. To want something.

The tables were turned when he saw her expression shift, her eyebrows falling a bit, her shoulders slumping down and growing heavier.

"No, of course not. I…"

"No, no, no, I know you're not. I… I just don't think now is the best time for a pet."

He backpedalled. He had chosen the wrong tactic, though it would have effectively gotten them out of there without an animal in tow. The cost would have been her guilt, and that was a price he did not feel like paying for something so relatively small. After all, he had many other secrets and faults that would need her forgiveness, and testing her patience now was not a wise choice. At least, that was what he told himself. In truth, he bore his own profound amount of guilt, and he loved her too much to let himself get away with it. It was unfair to her, someone he loved with all his blackened, shriveled heart.

"You're right Rumple," she said gently, smiling up at him with a warmth that no other creature could ever produce. He smiled back at her without noticing, thumb tracing the soft curve of her cheek again. She leaned into his touch, as if sensing his hesitation and wanting to reassure him. "We don't need to get one right now. But. Sometime, I hope, or… well. Sometime." Her gaze dropped, freeing him from the private enchantment her eyes held for him, and he leaned forward to press his forehead to hers. She hummed contentedly, offering him a small sign of peace in the form of a giggle.

"Yes. Perhaps… some other time. Now. Let's get some dinner, my dear."

They moved toward the door, hand in hand, exiting the way they came in. From the counter, the store owner watched the duo with a disappointed look on his face. So much time spent near the dogs but, of course, no purchases. Something told him, as the door settled back into its closed position and the ringing of the bell faded, that adopting an animal was not what those two needed.


End file.
